APIEPhotography: Vocabulary and Pronunciation
Photography and taking pictures
Answers and an explanation for each question appear once you add this activity to your own library.
📷 Photography and Taking Pictures
Learn 10 everyday camera words, see how they fit into sentences, and practice speaking them clearly.
For the Teacher
• Run this lesson in 20 minutes by reviewing the word table together and guiding learners through the practice tasks.
• Check answers right after each exercise and listen to student recordings to give quick, encouraging feedback.
For the Learner
• First, read the word table carefully and use the memory tips to remember tricky meanings.
• Next, complete the 16 practice questions and record your voice in the shadowing section to build confidence.
Why this works
Putting words into natural stories helps them stick. For example: "I didn't bring my tripod, so I held the camera and took a snapshot."
📋 Word table
Review these 10 photography words grouped by when and where you use them.
1. On the camera
| Word | Meaning | Common collocations | Example sentence | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lens | The curved glass piece that lets light into the camera. | clean the lens, camera lens | Clean the lens with a soft cloth before taking pictures. | Think of glasses: contact lenses and camera lenses both help you see clearly. |
| button | A small part you press to take a photo or change a setting. | press the button, shutter button | Press the top button to take the shot. | Picture a round shirt button that you push down with your finger. |
| flash | A sudden bright light that helps in dark places. | turn on the flash, camera flash | It was dark inside the room, so I used the flash. | Think of lightning: it flashes very fast and brings bright light. |
| tripod | A stand with three legs that keeps the camera still. | use a tripod, set up a tripod | He put the heavy camera on a tripod to stop shaking. | "Tri-" means three, like a tricycle with three wheels. |
2. Kinds of photo
| Word | Meaning | Common collocations | Example sentence | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| selfie | A photo you take of yourself, usually with a phone. | take a selfie, post a selfie | We took a smiling selfie together in front of the museum. | "Self" means you: a photo of your own self. |
| portrait | A formal picture or painting of a person, focusing on the face. | take a portrait, family portrait | The photographer took a beautiful portrait of the bride. | Sounds like "portray": you portray someone's face with care. |
| snapshot | A quick, informal photo taken without much preparation. | take a snapshot, quick snapshot | I took a quick snapshot of the cat before it ran away. | "Snap" is a quick sound, like snapping your fingers in one second. |
3. After the photo
| Word | Meaning | Common collocations | Example sentence | Memory tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| filter | A digital effect or glass cover that changes colors and tones. | add a filter, use a filter | She added a warm filter to give the picture an old look. | Like a coffee filter that lets only certain parts pass through. |
| folder | A digital place on your phone or computer to store pictures. | photo folder, save in a folder | I moved all my holiday pictures into a new folder. | Think of a folded paper jacket holding papers in an office. |
| zoom | To make a subject look closer or farther away. | zoom in, zoom out | Zoom in so we can see the bird's feathers clearly. | "Zoom" sounds like a fast race car moving close to you quickly. |
✏️ Practice
16 interactive tasks moving from easy matching to complete sentences.
Collocation Matching
Choose the noun that naturally pairs with each verb phrase.
1. "press the ___"
2. "use a ___ (to keep the camera still)"
3. "clean the ___ (the glass front)"
4. "take a ___ (of yourself)"
Gap-fills with Word Bank
Fill each gap using the correct word from the bank:
5. "It was too dark in the room, so I turned on the ____ to light up the faces."
6. "We did not have time to pose, so I just took a quick ____ of my friends."
7. "The stage was very far away, but the camera had a strong ____ to bring the singer near."
8. "I made a special digital ____ on my laptop for our summer trip pictures."
Choose the Word
All 3 words fit the grammar, but only one matches the meaning of the sentence.
9. The artist spent two hours making a detailed ___ of the old doctor's face.
10. Before sharing the picture online, she selected a vintage ___ to make the colors look warmer.
11. When I smiled into the phone camera with my sister, I took a fun ___.
12. To photograph the moon at night, the camera was mounted on a heavy metal ___.
Sentence Building
Put the scrambled words into the correct order to form a natural English sentence.
Words: tripod / on / the camera / Put / a
13. Reorder the words into a complete sentence:
____Words: the lens / with / Clean / a cloth
14. Reorder the words into a complete sentence:
____Words: in / Save / the folder / this portrait
15. Reorder the words into a complete sentence:
____Words: to zoom in / the button / Press
16. Reorder the words into a complete sentence:
____🎙 Shadowing
Listen to the audio by clicking the sound icon, then record your voice right below it.
🔹 Part 1: Collocations
press the button
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____use a tripod
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____add a filter
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____take a portrait
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____🔹 Part 2: Everyday Sentences
I take a snapshot with my phone.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____Turn on the flash in the dark.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____Zoom in to see her sweet smile.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____Put the photos in this folder.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____Clean the camera lens before shooting.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____She took a funny selfie yesterday.
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____🔹 Part 3: Clear Pronunciation of Hard Words
Listen to the stress carefully and repeat each word clearly.
portrait
[Bài tập luyện nói]
____tripod
[Bài tập luyện nói]
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